Discus.



' N0 MODEL.

No. 772,356. PATBNTED 0GT.18,1904.

' H. M. HOLLAND & J. P. MGLEAN.

mscus.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented October 18, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

MOLEAN, OF GALESBURG, ILLINOIS.

DISCUS- SPECIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 772,356, ,dated October 18, 1904. v

Application filed April 16, 1904.

T0 (tZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HAROLD M. HOLLAND and JOHN F. MOLEAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Galesburg, in the county of Knox and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Discuses, of which the following is a specification.

It is well known'to those skilled in the art of discus-throwing that in the use of discuses as heretofore constructed the discobolus or discus-thrower met with great and numerous difficulties by reason of imperfections in construction, by breakage, lack of equipoise, warping, &c., of the device. As heretofore constructed the discus has generally been formed of a central annular disk or ring of wood,- about the periphery of which other rings of like material were shrunk (by steaming) in concentric circles, and all were bound together by a metal rim or band encircling the outer ring. Pins were inserted through holes in said rim and driven into the outer wood ring. One great objection to a discus thus formed is that the wood becomes dry and shrinks, checks, or warps and the rings become loosened from each other and fall apart. Another objection is that when thrown or cast the discus landing with much force on a hard or rough surface the jolt or jar incident thereto will not only loosen the pins from the wood, but will tend to break the wood away from about said pins and cause the respective parts to fall apart. Adiscus thus constructed will dry out and become rickety or wabbly, and its motion through the air will be uneven and irregular. It will be apparent, therefore, that it cannot maintain that perfect eqnipoise which is essential and, in fact, absolutely necessary and requisite in a perfect device of the kind.

Universal rules have been adopted by the leading athletic organizations of the United States and foreign countries as to the dimensions and weight of discuses used in contests and trials of skill. In'discuses as heretofore constructed no provision has been made for changing or altering the weight of the device without altering its dimension. Again, when constructed as hereinbefore described the pre- Serial No. 203,528. (No model.)

ponderance of the bulk of the wood being parts the desired equiponis not distributed over its about its central derance of weight parts.

The principal object of ourinvention is to overcome the foregoing-recited objections.

With this and other objects in View, which objects will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, our invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, Figure 1 is a plan view; Fig. 2, a similar view, parts not shown; Fig. 3, a central section; Fig. I, a section in line 3 3 in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 a modification.

Referring to the drawings by letters, the same letter indicating the same part in the difierentfigures thereof, A represents a discus-base formed of an integral series of regularly-enlarging annular concentric steps or ridges A and depressions A cast from metal of low specific gravity, and is hollowed or cored out for a purpose hereinafter described. The base A has an opening B extending centrallythrough both of its sides. Flanges C extend inwardly from the parts a of the base A and form shelves for the reception of plates 0, which plates are secured together by a screw-threaded rod E, having a head E.

A rim D, of metal, circumferential in its crossand specific gravity section, of greater density than the material of the base A, surrounds the latter and protects the edges thereof from becoming marred or bruised. The rim D may be secured to the periphery of the base A in any desired or preferred manner. At Fig. 3 we have shown it as a half-round bar of weldable metal bent around the periphery of the base A and its ends welded together. form it may be shrunk on and, secured by pins or screws d, or it may be fixed to the base in any preferred manner. In Fig. 5 we have shown another form of rim. In this modification the rim is a hoop circular in crosssection, and the peripheral surface of the base is hollowed or channeled out to conform to the contour of the rim. The rim, being first heat ed to a high degree of temperature, is place In this about the circumference of the base and then suddenly cooled, when it will shrink into its place in the channel d of the base in a wellknown manner, as in setting tires on wheels. Hereinbefore we have stated that certain rules have been adopted byathletic associations to govern the weights and dimensions of discuses used in contests and trials of skill and strength. In said rules itis required that a standard or regulation discus shall be eight inches in diameter, two inches in thickness at its central part, and, shall weigh four and one-half pounds. It has heretofore been difficult to conform to these exact requirements. To overcome this difiiculty, we have provided plates 0 and balance or equipoise weights 0. The objects and purposes we shall now proceed to describe in connection with other parts of the device. A plate 0 is in all cases to be seated on each flange C, and the plates are preferably connected by means of a rod E, which passes through an orifice or opening in one plate and is threaded into a registering opening in the other plate. Should it be found after all the foregoing parts are assembled that the discus does not weigh sufficiently to conform to the standard, weights 0 may be placed on the flange G and beneath the plates 0 in such number to bring the discus to the required weight. Should it be found to be unbalanced, or one side heavier than the other, heavier or lighter weights may be placed on one side or the other until the exact equibalance is found. This is very essential, as should the device not anced it could not maintain an equipoise while flying through space. It is also extremely desirable that the weight of the device be equally distributed from its center to its circumference. Especially is this true of the base. To this end and object we have made the wall of the discus of about the same thickness throughout its length, leaving the base hollowed or cored out, as shown at Figs. 3 and 5. Thus constructed we have a discus the balance and equipoise of which is perfect.

In preliminary work or practice it is sometimes desirable to have a discus which is in weight somewhat less than the regulation or standard, though conforming to standard dimensions. At Fig. 4 we have shown one half (the lower) of a discus made in two parts. Webs G are provided in each half of the base A and have common meeting-points, thereby forming pockets G for the reception of weights G In this form less material is used than in the standard. When it is desired to bring it to the standard, an adjusting weight or weights G ,-sufficient to make up for the deficiency, are placed in a pocket or pockets G. The upper and lower sections of the discusbase are then brought together and secured to each other by the rod E, as hereinbefore debe thus perfectly balscribed. If desired, they may be more firmly held by means of ledges N in one of the sections, which fit into corresponding grooves (not shown) in the other.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a discus, a base having a hollow interior, an opening extending centrally through the base and the latter having inwardly-projecting flanges about said central opening, plates or balance-weights, or both, seated on said flanges, and means for securing them together, substantially as described.

2. In a discus, a base having a hollow interior, said base formed of a material of low specific gravity, and having a concentric series of ridges and depressions on its upper and lower surfaces and an opening extending centrally therethrough, annular flanges extending inwardly from the central parts of said base, weights or plates resting on and supported by said flanges and means for securing them together, and a peripheral rim of greater specific gravity surrounding the base and secured thereto, substantially as described.

3. A discus comprising in its structure a base A having a hollow interior A, a central opening B through its upper and lower parts, flanges 0 about said opening, a rim D, balanceweights 0', plates 0, one of which is threaded, and a rod threaded at one end for engagement with the threaded plate to secure said plates together.

L. A hollow discus-base of material of low density, a rim of material of great density encircling said base, a central opening through the upper and lower portions of said base, annular flanges about said opening, securingplates, counterpoise-weights seated on said flanges, retaining-plates and means for connecting them to each other, said plates exterior to and resting on said weights, all in combination substantially as and for the purpose described. I

5. A discus formed of an upper and a lower portion and means for securing them together, and webs integral with said portions, said webs confronting each other when the upper and lower portions are secured together and forming pockets for the reception of balanceweights, substantially as and for the purpose des cribed.

HAROLD M. HOLLAND. JOHN F. MOLEAN. Witnesses to signature of Harold M. Holland:

J. E. MALEY, G. E. MQTAGGART. Witnesses to signature of John F. McLean:

R. J. FOSTER, M. FINE. 

